Austin Criminal Attorney

Our state and federal constitutions provide for an extensive amount of individual rights that are too often overlooked or flat out ignored. It is imperative you hire a lawyer, but not just any lawyer, a lawyer you trust will stand up for your rights, and assert your standpoint on the facts of a case.

Being investigated or charged with a criminal offense may be one of the most frightening experiences in your life. Whether it’s a misdemeanor criminal mischief or a felony aggravated assault, finding yourself in the judicial system is a scary place to be alone.

Nobody likes jail. That’s the point, you’re not going to be well or fair or even like a human being. From the moment you become a suspect to that final hour of closing arguments, you will be treated like a criminal and presumed guilty by your government, employers, landlords, and even most of your friends. According to this NBC News article, 2015 was a record year for criminal exonerations. That means more people who were previously convicted of a crime were found to be INNOCENT either through science or some other newly discovered evidence, than any other year before that. While this is a great development, it should scare the hell out of you. Many, many people are going to prison for something they didn’t do. There is absolutely no excuse for that to happen, ever.

You have a right to a jury trial, a right to any defense, a right to cross examine every witness in person, and a right to subpoena any witness necessary to further your case. Further, the law states you are presumed innocent at every stage, unless the government proves beyond all reasonable doubt that you are guilty. This means you do not have to say a word at any point if you do not wish to, and that silence cannot be used against you.

You really do not have to provide any evidence at a trial, and that cannot be used against you. The burden to prove guilt rests solely with the government, and that burden never shifts, never. Yet, with the hundreds of jurors and potential jurors I have spoken with during criminal voir dires, a disturbingly high percentage feel they need to hear from the citizen accused before they can find him or her Not Guilty. And those are just the ones that admit it.

Think about this, when was the last time you saw someone in the back of a police car and thought, “I wonder what that innocent person is doing?” I bet every person who reads this sees that individual in the back of a patrol car and says the exact opposite. We don’t believe cops make mistakes. This prevalence is a result of the law enforcement bias that exists in our media and politics. The fact is that law enforcement officers are human beings like us and they make mistakes, or they act serious under pressure, or they simply don’t care. I am not anti law enforcement. I am against unconstitutional behavior by law enforcement, and I am also against any of my clients going to jail. Get me on your side, let me fight for your rights and expose any unlawful police behavior.